One of the necessities when camping is a durable strong knife. Today we are reviewing the Schrade Extreme Survival Fixed Blade Knife SCHF3N. This is a fierce sounding name but the Schrade SCHF3N is an ideal camping accessory.
The Schrade SCHF3N is part of a range of survival knives from Schrade. This particular version is the non serrated blade version which I prefer.
The SCHF3N is about 30 cm on length overall with the Micarta handle being about 14 cm and the blade 16cm. The blade is a full tang which is extremely important for strength and durability as with normal use camping the knife cops a lot of use, cutting, chopping and general belting.
Overall weight is about 415gm so it has some weight behind it and is just about the perfect size for its intended purpose.. The blade is a hollow ground drop point blade which is more combat or tactical in appearance but practical for camping use.
The blade has a long sweeping point that is practical for piercing carving and more delicate tasks. The thick blade and overall weight aids in chopping etc. The full tang extends beyond the handle to form a handy steel point for crushing things or breaking glass etc.
The SCHF3N is made from 440C high carbon stainless steel and comes extremely sharp from the box. This steel is strong but holds an edge well. The other thing to note is that the blade is 6mm thick, adding to the strength and weight.
One feature I particularly like on this knife is the Micarta handle. Micarta is great for knife handles as its tough, works in all temperatures and easily replaceable. The handle is two blocks of Micarta that are attached at three points by screws.
The handle is shaped for finger grips, has an uplift near the hilt for a thumb with jimping on the spine to prevent slipping and fits beautifully in the hand. Use the supplied lanyard and you would find it difficult to drop this knife at all.
The other feature that is appealing is the finger hollow on the blade that allows you to grip the knife for fine detail work. This is unusual in such a heavy duty survival knife and allows greater flexibility in use.
The sheath is a heavy duty nylon sheath with front pocket for a sharpener, lighting steel, other survival necessities etc. It comes with a plastic insert for the blade to prevent slicing the nylon and the insert is secured by a screw at the bottom and steel grommets.
As the plastic insert can be removed and converted to left handed the knife can be worn either side. A screw at the bottom of the sheath can be undone and the plastic insert can then be removed. You simply turn the insert around, insert it back into the sheath, and replace the screw.
The retention clasp is good because it doesn’t get in the way when you are trying to draw the blade, and there are multiple ways to attach this knife to yourself or your gear.
Overall the Schrade SCHF3N is an excellent camping accessory that is tough, robust, practical and not very expensive. It’s a little hard to find though but well worth the effort.
Schrade Knives Extreme Survival Fixed Blade Knife SCHF3N
Price : around $80
Blade: 6.4 inches (16.2 cm)
Handle: 5.6 inches (14.2 cm)
Weight: 415gm.
Handle Type: Micarta
Steel: 440C High Carbon Stainless Steel
Includes Sheath
